Justification:
A shrub endemic to Ecuador, where it is known from at least eight subpopulations in the southern Andes. Most of the collections have been reported from the south of Loja, in Cerro Villonaco, south of Yangana and Cerro Uritusinga. Not known to occur in Ecuador’s protected areas network, but may grow inside the Parque Nacional Podocarpus. No specimens of this species are housed in Ecuadorian museums. Habitat destruction is the only known threat to the species.